Chapter Two

QUALITY AND GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS

TRUE OR FALSE: Place T or F in the space provided to the left of the statement.

_____1. U.S.companies, mistakenly seeing quality as the issue, learned that quantity was the key to success in the global marketplace.

_____2. The need to improve an organization’s financial condition correlated directly with the process of making and measuring quality improvements.

_____3. A nation’s ability to compete in the global marketplace has a direct bearing on the quality of life of its citizens.

_____4. The only way the U.S. can overcome business-related inhibitors is for the government to enact policies that will reduce non-value-added costs to a minimum.

_____5. In order to be an exporter, a manufacturer must be able to outperform foreign competitors in terms of both quality and productivity.

MULTIPLE CHOICE: Circle the letter before the correct answer in each of the following questions.

1.Of the trends listed below, which one increases the level of globalization in business?

  1. Growing irrelevance of distance.
  2. Shifts in the interest rates.
  3. Quality of the product.
  4. Rise of small towns.

2.Which of the following statements are considered true concerning the affects of global integration?

  1. It has helped fuel economic growth throughout the industrialized world.
  2. It can be the Achilles heel of economic growth.
  3. Downturns in one country can now have a ripple effect that quickly spreads to other countries.
  4. All of the above

3.Which of the following countries is the most competitive country in the world?

  1. Germany
  2. United States
  3. Japan
  4. Switzerland

4.When making comparisons among internationally competing countries, the following indicators are used:

  1. Standard of living and investment.
  2. Quality is the key to success.
  3. Government infrastructure.
  4. Ability to compete.

5.The most important key in maximizing competitiveness is:

  1. Education
  2. Human resources
  3. Teamwork
  4. Government

Test Key

True/False

  1. F
  2. T
  3. T
  4. F
  5. T

Multiple Choice

  1. C
  2. D
  3. C
  4. A
  5. B